Rupee Bank admins express merger hope after Bapat's Parliament speech
The current administrators of the stressed Rupee Cooperative Bank have expressed hope of a resolution of the financial institution, including a possible merger after Lok Sabha member Girish Bapat raised the issue in Parliament during the monsoon session.
Shiladitya Pandit
Bapat urged the government to intervene regarding Rupee Bank, which has been run by Reserve Bank of India (RBI)-appointed administrators following allegations against the bank's erstwhile management of misappropriation of funds and has been placed by the central bank under severe restrictions regarding withdrawals and advances.
Bapat said due to the restrictions, deposits worth more than a thousand crores of rupee could not be accessed by its customers, many of whom were senior citizens. He requested the Centre to revive talks of the bank's possible merger with the Bank of Maharashtra.
When approached by TOI, a Bank of Maharashtra official declined to comment on Bapat's speech. A source familiar with the issue said talks between the banks went on till 2018 when the Bank of Maharashtra was scheduled to take over Rupee Bank's assets and liabilities under a scheme formulated by the RBI. However, the talks cooled after that. Rupee Bank is currently awaiting clearance from the RBI to merge with the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB), which is largely involved in agricultural banking, rather than retail.
"Bapat's speech sparks hope of some resolution to the situation of the bank. If the Centre or the RBI decides to revive Rupee Bank's merger with Bank of Maharashtra, we are ready to take the necessary steps," said Sudhir Pandit, the administrator of Rupee Bank.
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